The 2019 NFL draft is April 25 and Houston Texans stud edge defender Jadeveon Clowney still hasn’t been given a contract extension. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys locked up to their pass rusher, Demarcus Lawrence, who is of the same 2014 draft class as Clowney, giving the 26-year-old a $105 million contract that averages $21 million a year.
Will the Texans follow suit for a player that has never had double-digit sacks and has only played a full 16-game season once? Is Clowney even worth $21 million a year? Looking at how quiet it has been in the Clowney and Texans front, general manager Brian Gaine might have something else up his sleeve come the draft.
Gaine may try and pull off a trade that would see Clowney being moved for picks and the Texans could try to move up beyond their 23rd overall placement in the first round. Trading Clowney to the Oakland Raiders, who need a pass rusher after dealing Khalil Mack, would make sense. Oakland also has the capital to be a partner as it has three first-round picks, including No. 4 overall along with 24th and 27th.
That’s enough ammunition to be in the talks for Clowney. No, obviously the Raiders won’t deal all three picks to the Texans, but what if the Raiders trade that fourth overall pick and No. 27for Clowney and the Texans’ 23rd? That would still leave Oakland with back-to-back picks at 23rd and 24th overall, giving their roster a nice, flavorful mix of Pro Bowl talent in receiver Antonio Brown and Clowney, while also adding talented youngsters.
This would ultimately give the Texans the fourth overall pick and No. 27, while still maintaining their two consecutive second-round picks at 54th and 55th overall. Making that kind of trade would in return give the Texans plenty of opportunities to draft a defensive back like Greedy Williams from LSU or an offensive lineman in Jawaan Williams out of Florida.
With no news of any new contract extension for Clowney, one has to think at least that there’s a real possibility that Gaine and company feel like $21 million a year is too steep for a promising player who has yet to become the ESPN highlight he once was in college. Maybe that’s all Clowney ever was. Either way, the draft is coming, and the Texans will need to address the situation before the offseason workouts intensify.
It all begs the question: Do they want to pay the cash and lock Clowney in over the next five years, or do they step off the train now and get what the team needs in this year’s draft with multiple picks?
